John Dudley and the Nine Days Queen

A history talk

Was John Dudley Duke of Northumberland, sometime owner of Dudley Castle (not to mention Warwick Castle too) the acquisitive schemer that historians have made him out to be?  In my book A Crown for Staffordshire I've given a chapter to the man who put the unfortunate, tragic and undoubtedly unwilling sixteen year old Lady Jane Grey on the throne of England for nine days back in the 16th century. It all ended in tears.... and lost heads, but in my opinion John Dudley wasn't the power crazy, grasping schemer that historians would have us believe. I honestly reckon that the poor fellow's had an undeservedly bad press for the last 500 years and I'm doing my best to shed a little new light onto what happened back then. John Dudley played out his role against the glittering Tudor back-drop, hob-nobbing with King Henry VIII and attending several of his marriage ceremonies and the christening of his son Prince Edward to whom he became a surrogate father when the boy inherited the throne. He made a dangerous enemy of King Henry's eldest daughter Princess Mary, (later to become Queen Mary - better known as Bloody Mary) on account of a clash of religion and at the end of the day, Mary was his downfall. However, I'm pretty certain that John Dudley had no intention of creating the Royal House of Dudley - not until the end - not until young King Edward VI became terminally ill and then he found his back to the wall and his enemies braying for his blood.....!

People enjoy this talk because the background of Henry VIII and his six wives is familiar ground to them and so they can place John Dudley in situ. Although the fact that sixteen year old Jane (and John as well, for that matter) lost her head over the whole frantic and ill-concieved debacle doesn't mean that this talk is heavy or grim. Indeed, there are plenty of laughs along the way and it doesn't get grizzly till the last five minutes by which time everybody is prepared for what's coming. I love giving this talk.... it is my favourite

Want to see me? Well have a look at my tv debut? Its not actually to do with one of my presentations, it is to do with a company I started with my daughter Laura some years ago www.thebigbloomerscompany.co.uk Let me warn you, I do normally comb my hair and put on a bit of lippy when I'm doing a talk but I forgot the tv crew were coming on the morning this clip was done (April 2010), so I'm even wearing an old jumper of Laura's! Anyway, don't be put off.... click on the link below:-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8647491.stm